CDC advisory group votes to add COVID-19 vaccines to the pediatric immunization schedule; a new report says workplaces can be hazardous to the mental and physical health of Americans; drug makers are lobbying to ease the impact of the Inflation Reduction Act.
CDC Advisory Group Votes to Add COVID-19 to Pediatric Immunization Schedule
In a unanimous 15-to-0 vote, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) approved adding the COVID-19 vaccine to the recommended immunizations for children, according to CIDRAP. States often use the immunization schedule as a guide, but not all states require the vaccines on the schedule. The recommendation came a day after ACIP approved adding vaccines for COVID-19 to a program that provides free vaccines for children who either can’t afford them or who are uninsured.
Work Can Be Hazardous to Mental and Physical Health
Workplaces can be hazardous to Americans’ mental health and well-being, as well as their physical health, according to a new report from the United States Surgeon General. According to STAT, the report drew attention to factors like racism, bullying, and powerlessness at work, which contribute to ill health. The report calls on companies to protect employees from physical harm, by implementing basic safety, and psychological harm, by protecting against harassment. In addition, the report calls for workers to have adequate time off.
Drug Makers Lobby Against Impacts of the IRA
The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) gives Medicare the authority to negotiate drug prices for certain therapies, and drug makers are seeking to ease the impact of the law, reported The Wall Street Journal. Both the Biotechnology Innovation Organization and Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, the 2 largest grade groups for the pharmaceutical industry, say the law threatens investment in drug development without doing enough to lower drug costs for patients. Both groups are working to limit the effect the law will have on drug research.
Study Highlights Significant Increases in Utilization, Spending on DMD Drugs in Medicaid
May 17th 2024The findings add to recent research on the growing utilization, expenditure, and prices of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) therapies in the current landscape, an area health care policy could potentially address.
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Covering antiobesity medications like semaglutide could save Medicare around $500 million annually; preliminary CDC data showed a 3% decline in the number of US overdose deaths last year; the Biden administration recently announced the first national maternal mental health strategy.
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Frameworks for Advancing Health Equity: Urban Health Outreach
May 9th 2024In the series debut episode of "Frameworks for Advancing Health Equity," Mary Sligh, CRNP, and Chelsea Chappars, of Allegheny Health Network, explain how the Urban Health Outreach program aims to improve health equity for individuals experiencing homelessness.
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After the ACA Expanded Health Care Access, 2024 Elections May See Voters Demand Affordability
May 15th 2024At the spring conference of the New Jersey Health Care Quality Institute, speakers discussed how health policy, affordability, and transparency may play a role in voters’ decisions.
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Panel Addresses Minority Physician Shortage, Maternal Health at Senate Committee Hearing
May 15th 2024The senate hearing held by the US Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, led by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I, Vermont), chairman of the committee, and ranking member Sen. Bill Cassidy, MD, (R, Louisiana), addressed the critical issue of physician and health care worker shortages, as well as the maternal health crisis, in the US.
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